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Many people hear of fossils found in rocks, but a less common place is in amber. Usually, with smaller animals like insects, amber stone preserves a plethora of bizarre creatures right before the resin covers them forever. Amber is a unique substance found in some areas of the world and its fossil preservation is different from traditional stone.
Scientists have found plenty of insects and smaller animals preserved within amber, but a few stand out as being particularly bizarre. Below are some honorable mentions.
In Myanmar, someone found a piece of amber stone containing a spider and a wasp. The wasp was a male parasitic wasp and the spider was an orb weaver. It looks like the wasp was trying to enter the spider’s web and got caught. The creatures are from 100 million years ago in the Hukawang Valley. This is an exciting find because it reveals a genuine interaction between prey and predator.
In the Dominican Republic, someone found a salamander with its leg bitten off trapped in amber. There are no salamanders in this area currently, but some were present about 20 million years ago. The relationship between salamanders and their relatives remains unknown because of gaps in the fossil record. Still, this preservation brings scientists one step closer.
Amber can preserve microscopic creatures as well. “Mold pigs” were found in the Dominican Republic, similar to the salamanders, from about 30 million years ago. The species resembles tardigrades or water bears, but scientists nicknamed them “mold pigs” because of their shape and fungi-rich diet. They are a new species because their attributes do not match any known category.
Sometimes, amber catches creatures in tantalizing positions. Burmese amber preserved a male damselfly in the middle of striking a pose for an interested female. It looks like the insect is 100 million years old. Damselflies still exist today, feeding on mosquitoes and traveling in clouds.
An intriguing discovery was amber preserving a baby dinosaur’s tail. The tail had feathers, indicating some dinosaurs had them. The dinosaur tail belongs to a coelurosaur, which is about the size of a sparrow. It seems it was dead before preservation. Scientists know the remains were from a dinosaur because it had a tail with vertebrae, uncharacteristic of a bird.
Another notable amber preservation is two flowers in the middle of having sex. Found in Myanmar, the flowers are 99 million years old. This is interesting because the fossil depicts the sexual act of two species. The process of flowers mating is pollination, although nowadays seeds are the most common reproductive method.
The “ugly” bug is a new species called Aethiocarenus burmanicus. It is 100 million years old, and amber has preserved a specimen. Scientists call it ugly due to its triangular head, googly eyes, and unusual neck glands. It potentially lived in Jordan and is most closely related to other extinct insects instead of any living ones today.
An erect spider was found in amber from 99 million years ago. It was located in Myanmar and is a harvestman, also known as a daddy long-legs. The harvestman is a close relative of the spider. Within the amber, the creature is in the first stages of puberty. Male spiders have pedipalps that hold sperm and other organs that are involved in the spider’s erection.
Scientists discovered two ancient flies frozen mid-mating inside an amber stone. The bugs are 41 million years old. They are long-legged flies from Australia and were preserved forever during the sexual act. Insects today die from things like light pollution and climate change-related events, but these flies passed away in a drop of resin.
Below is a video to learn more about the bizarre creatures found in amber.
Amber stone is hardened resin. Trees secrete resin when they are in danger or cut by insects, fungi, or other predators. Resin is different from sap. Once it dries, it becomes the amber that preserves the bizarre creatures above. It is usually a yellow color, but can be blue and red as well.
Unlike stone that saves large dinosaur bones or other notable fossils, amber preserves smaller creatures and objects like seeds, feathers, and the occasional tiny animal. Even though amber is from resin, not all resin turns into amber. It must survive decay from weather and bacteria, as well as large amounts of pressure. If it withstands all of that, then it becomes a preservable amber.
Amber is also less prone to human intervention. Sometimes, construction workers disrupt areas and damage stone containing valuable fossils. Inspectors prevent this by examining the land first, but amber is so small and close to trees that it remains untouched. This is especially beneficial because fragile insects need limited interaction to stay intact.
Trees were once abundant in prehistoric times, allowing amber to preserve ancient species for millions of years. While the animals are tiny and not as impressive as a fully formed T-Rex, they still provide helpful knowledge on the time period. Also, there are not many insect fossils because of their fragile bodies. Amber preserves their fossils for examination in surprisingly thorough detail.
Scientists find amber and its accompanying fossils in the Baltic region, including places like Latvia, Russia, Lithuania, and Poland. However, the Dominican Republic also has amber, most commonly used for jewelry and scientific experiments. Italy has Sicilian amber, also known as simetite, which is uniquely red. These areas produce amber used for various purposes, while also becoming prime locations for fossil extraction.
Amber is a unique substance with the ability to preserve small animals for millions of years. It has caught some pretty bizarre ones so far, but these discoveries have led to increased knowledge and a more thorough understanding of the time.
